Perry Mason The Lakehouse Mystery
by perrymasonbuff
Summary: This is the story of Cricket Creek and a vacation that Perry Mason and Paul Drake badly need. But, where they go murder follows.
1. Chapter 1

The weather was getting warmer everyday and soon the tourists would be coming to Cricket Creek. Marcia Brown was hard at work cleaning and freshening up some of the cottages on the lake getting them ready for the summer.

Each one of the homes were owned by one man George Streeter, who lived in town. He had inherited the homes from his father who had built them some forty years ago. Each one of the cabins were unique, but they overlooked the lake and sat on a hill. The town had been named Cricket Creek back in the early 1800's.

The name of the lake was Cricket Lake, named for the many crickets that could be heard singing during the night. The lake had a great beach and was family friendly. Each summer many tourists came to town for their summer vacation usually staying only a week or two.

This summer a young couple were going to be renting one of the cottages on the lake for the entire summer. Marcia had only spoken to the husband over the phone and wondered who the family was. He was an architect and his wife was a schoolteacher. They had two girls and were renting the two bedroom cottage that was located near to Marcia's home.

Marcia had been born and raised in Cricket Creek and had purchased her home seven years before. She enjoyed the privacy that the winter offered and the quiet and privacy of the winter months. It was now coming into summer, and she was ready for the noise and bustling of the town.

As Marcia finished the cleaning of the last cottage she stepped out of the house. She saw Carl out mowing the lawns while his wife Sara was busy at work working on the gardens. She wanted the place ready for the first summer residents, and as she looked around, she was pleased.

Back in LA Perry Mason was just finishing up a large case and was looking to take a break from his work. As Paul Drake came into the office that day, he approached him on the subject of a possibility of the two of them taking off for a few days for some great fishing.

Paul and Perry had gone on many fishing trips together and one of his favorite spots was at Cricket Creek. His wife and son were going away for the next week to her mother's house and this would be a great opportunity for him and his friend to go and have a good time. So he told his friend "That sounds great. When could we leave?"

"I was going to call a friend of mine and see what she has available for next week. What do you think?" Perry asked him

"That sounds good to me. I was going to be alone all week and our case is finally done. Let me know if everything is all set and I am very interested.

Perry put his finger up and placed the call to Cricket Creek. His friend Marcia had his regular cabin ready and Perry took it. "We are all set we can leave Saturday morning." he told his friend.

Della was glad to see that her friend and boss was going to be able to take a few days off. When he was gone the work load at the office was much smaller and she would have time to relax herself. As Perry left the office that Friday she wished him a good time.

Gregg and Dottie Lyons were looking forward to a summer on the lake called Cricket Lake. They had been very lucky to have found a rental that they could have for the entire summer. Dottie had been worried about her husband. Something was worrying him and he had been a nervous wreck for the past couple of weeks. She couldn't understand what he could be hiding, he was just an architect and he was in the middle of working for a local businessman who made hand blown glass. He was designing a place for him to sell his items. He had wanted the new office to be elegant and Gregg and been working hard on the design.

As Gregg sat down at his desk to work on some of the designs, he was glad that he was going to be working in a different location. Barry Steiger had been coming to his office almost everyday trying to get him to come to work for him. He owned a large architectural firm and did not like the competition that Gregg was giving him.

Gregg knew that he was a talented man, and he had seen his business grow. He had been talking (quite quietly) to the mayor of the town of Cricket Creek on the possibility of building some condominiums along the lake. It was quite controversial and some of the people from the town would not be supportive of a plan. So, he had been asked to do a few sketches with some ideas that the mayor might be interested in.

It was going to be a great summer. Gregg thought that he could mix business with pleasure. He and his family would have a summer by a lake and he might get a large job that could get him well known in the area. It was his hope that other builders would see his designs and hire him to build more homes and condos.

Dottie had no idea what her husband was planning. She thought that the idea of a summer vacation was a great idea. She taught second grade and would not have to go back to work until that September. She was going to be taking some college courses, but had found a university just one half hour away and had enrolled there for a few days a week.

Lindsey and Carrie were excited. They were going to have a whole summer on a lake. Lindsey was going to be six soon and her sister Carrie was going to be five and they were now big enough to learn to swim and their daddy told them that they would be fishing with him too. As they packed their bags (with their mom's help they were excited. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

So the next day was Saturday morning and all the lives of the Lyon family and the friends Paul Drake and Perry Mason would soon be merging together. Each one of them were going on a vacation for relaxation and fun. It was Marcia Brown's job to make sure that everyone got what they wanted. As she walked out of the office and took one last look at the cabins and the beach she smiled. She and the town of Cricket Creek were ready for the long summer ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive to Cricket Lake was a long one for friends Perry Mason and Paul Drake. The two men were hard workers and it was not often that they got to spend time together relaxing. Cricket Creek was one of their favorite places to go. It was quiet and the lake was clean and the fishing was good. Both men were excellent swimmers also. The beach was right across the street from the cabin that they were going to be renting.

George Streeter had been looking at his homes and thinking of the money that they were now costing him to keep up. He could only rent them eight months a year, because they were not heated. Even in southern California the weather got very cool up here in the mountains. The lake would freeze and was used for ice fishing. He had thought about making some of his cabins four season now.

But he had heard a rumor, a rumor that Dick Edwards denied adamantly, that one of the men who were coming to Cricket Creek for the summer was an architect and that he was going to be working on some plans for possible condominiums. This was not going to work for him. Dick Edwards was the mayor of the town and he had been talking about building homes around the lake for years.

So, he had looked up this man who was renting the cabin Gregg Lyons. He was indeed a young ambitious architect. George was going to confront him about what he was doing here. But the man was going to be here with his wife and children. He hoped that the rumors were not true and that he and his family were only there to enjoy the summer and the weather here.

The Lyon's family arrived at their cottage around noon. Gregg and Dottie had all they could do to get the kids to stay still long enough to unpack the car. They wanted to go down to the lake and go swimming. Dottie told them that if they didn't stand still it was going to be a longer time before they could go. Lindsey and Carrie tried to help their mother and father get unpacked, because they wanted to go swimming. It was hot.

Marcia Brown stopped by the cabin to make sure that everything was all set for the family. "I have a couple of brochures here for you too. There is a drive in movie theater just a few miles down the street. It has some good movies an did one of the last drive in theaters around. " she told them.

Dottie smiled at her husband "I haven't been to a drive in since I was a teenager. We will have to go."

Carrie asked her mother what a drive in was and her mom laughed. "It is an outside movie. You sit in your car and watch the movie. They put a speaker in the car so you can hear what is said.

Lindsey smiled and thought for a moment. "That sounds like fun. Let's go tonight."

Her mother smiled at the girls and said "We will see. But I feel like a swim right now. " With that the girls ran to their rooms and got on their swimsuits. The family headed to the beach holding hands.

Marcia was in her office doing her books when George Streeter came in. He wanted to know about the family that had come to town. "I just know that they are a family with two children and he is an architect. " Marcia told him. She had heard the rumors and wondered if George knew. But by his actions he did.

"I have heard rumors that this man is here to design new condominiums. Is it true?"

"I don't know, Our mayor has been trying to build up the lake for years." Marcia told him.

George Streeter was beside himself. He would lose so much money if the other side of the lake was built up. The mayor and his family owned almost all of the land on the other side of the lake. The mayor's father had wanted to keep it natural, but when he had passed, talk around town was that they were planning on building up that side of the lake.

Dick and Mike Edwards had found the land to be costly tax wise and the insurance had tripled, because of the hunting that was done on their land. It was time for them to sell at least some of the land or develop it. As the two brothers sat out on their front porch, they watched the people who were starting to fill the lake with fun and laughter. It was still early in the season but all of the cabins that George Streeter owned were full.

"It's time that we build here on the lake. The business is here. Gregg Lyons is going to be working on some possible sketches and he will meet with us tomorrow." Dick told Mike.

"Good. We can start the ball rolling if we like his work then." Mike told him.

Perry and Paul had been out in one of the small row boats that the town offered and had some luck fishing. Dinner was going to be trout and plenty of it. As they got to the pier they saw their friend Dick Edwards. He came over to them and wished them the best. "This is a great place and as you can see the fishing is still some of the best that I have seen." and with that he held up the fish. Perry and Paul were both proud of their catch.

"We must get together this week. I have a meeting tonight, but would like to get together any other night." Dick offered them.

George Streeter had done something he was ashamed of. He used his pass key to go into the cabin where the Lyon family was staying. There were the sketches, the sketches that he had thought might be there. Now he was angry very angry.

He called Dick Edwards and told him that he wanted to meet with him at his home as soon as possible. Dick knew what it meant and he really did not want to meet with George at this time. George was going to do everything he could do to stop the building of the condos. But he agreed to meet with him after dinner at eight that evening.

When Dick arrived at George's house he found his car in the driveway and the light on, but he did not answer the door. Dick looked in the window and saw George lying on the floor. He went in and checked to see if he was all right. But he was dead. He had been shot. Dick called the police and stood there and waited for them to arrive.


	3. Chapter 3

In a small town like Cricket Creek word spreads fast when there is a murder. The police had barely arrived when nosey spectators started to show up. They were the people from the town who had heard about George Streeter. The news was even getting better now that they found out that the mayor had been the one to find him shot.

But the police department in Cricket Creek was a very small one. They had never found it necessary to have a large force,. There were only three full time officers and two part time. None of them had any experience in homicide. That was when the mayor asked Perry Mason and Paul Drake to come up to the house and help them out.

Perry was just stepping off of the boat after a day of fishing when one of the men from town told him what had happened. Paul and Perry were more than happy to help out and were taken directly to George Streeter's house by the man.

The first thing that they saw was all the people who were standing outside of the home. George Streeter had lived in a modest home that overlooked the lake. There they were greeted by the police chief. He had not allowed anyone but his officers into the house and the police had been busy dusting for fingerprints.

The local medical examiner was just arriving as they did. He went over to the body and took a look. He carefully took a look at the body and told the police that he wanted measurements to each point and he also wanted many photos of all of the blood spatters.

Perry asked the man "Can you guess who long this man has been dead?"

The coroner looked at his notes and said "My guess is that he has been dead less than two hours. I will have more information for you once I finish my examination, though." he told him.

Perry and Paul took a thorough look around and noticed that there were two drinks on the counter. Neither one of them had been touched. It was as if George Streeter had just poured someone a drink and turned around to find a gun being pointed at him. He was facing his murderer when he was shot, but there was no sign of a struggle.

The police chief went over to them and asked if there was anything else that needed to be done. Perry told them about the drinks and asked to make sure that the glasses were dusted for fingerprints. The police were talking to the people outside and trying to find out if anyone had seen anything on that day. Cricket Creek was a small town and if anything unusual had happened someone might have noticed.

Perry and Paul stayed around for the next couple of hours assisting where they could and then went back to their cabin. Perry thought that he was going on a vacation to relax and here he was in the middle of a murder investigation once more.

Gregg and Dottie Lyons had spent most of the day at the lake. They heard about the murder from one of the people on the beach. As they went back up to the house, Gregg noticed that something was wrong about the feel of the cabin. He looked over at his paintings and saw that someone had touched them. As he looked at his papers, he was sure that someone had touched them too.

Gregg turned to his wife and asked her "Did you touch any of my things?"

Dottie looked at him strangely and said "No. I have been at the beach all day with you. No one has been here."

Gregg shrugged his shoulders and checked his designs carefully. They were all there, but he was sure that they were in the wrong order. Also his drawings had been moved around. 'Who would do such a thing?' he thought to himself.

Marcia Brown was very upset. Someone had killed one of her good friends George Streeter. She had been busy at one of the other cabins getting it ready for a tenant that was due to come the next day, when she had seen George going into the Lyon's cabin. She had wondered what he was doing as she had seen the family at the beach. He had only been there for a short while, though and she had thought nothing of it. Gut now, with his murder and all she thought that she had better tell the police what she had seen.

The coroner had started the autopsy on George Streeter immediately. Even though, he now lived in the small town of Cricket Creek he was originally from LA where he had worked in the coroners office for over twenty years. He knew his forensics and was out to make sure that there were no mistakes on his end. George Streeter had been a friend of his and he wanted to find out who the murder was.

Meanwhile the police chief was busy looking for the murder weapon. He knew that the murder weapon had been a hand gun and not a shot gun. Most of the men in the town owned shot guns for hunting, not too many owned hand guns.

Gregg Lyons had been thinking about telling the police that he had seen George Streeter that day for just a few minutes. The exchange had not been a good one as he was accused of trying to make Cricket Creek a city and was only interested in the money he was going to make. They had left each other's company some half an hour before he was murdered Gregg thought.

Gregg had gone back towards the beach, but had thought that he would go back and talk to George. George had not answered the door. He had thought at the time that it was because George was angry at him, but maybe he was already dead. He had not heard a shot though.

Brian Earl had been up in the woods cutting firewood when he had seen that a stranger knocking on George's front door. He had been yelling for George to let him in. The man had gone down to his car and put something in the trunk. That was when Brian decided to tell the police about what he had seen.

The chief of police was definitely interested in what Brian had to say. The man that Brain described was Gregg Lyons the man who had just rented a cabin for the summer. He went up to the Lyons cabin and knocked on the door.

Dottie Lyons was a nice lady who welcomed him into the house. Gregg was sitting at his desk doing some work when the police chief came in. He talked to Gregg for a few minutes and then told him that he was going to have to look in the trunk. Gregg saw nothing wrong with it and like a fool opened the trunk for the police. Right inside on the top of the blanket was a gun. A gun that was going to prove to be the murder weapon.

As Gregg stood there and stared at the weapon the police chief put the gun in a plastic bag and told Gregg that he needed to come with him. Now he was going to need a lawyer.


	4. Chapter 4

Now that Gregg had been arrested the police chief took a deep breath. They had found the weapon in the trunk of his car and his fingerprints were all over it. They were sending the gun down for testing but it was the murder weapon of that he was sure.

Gregg Lyons was taken down to the local police station where he was pictured and photographed. It was here that he became very frightened. For outside there was a growing group of citizens of the fine town who wanted to hang him then and there. They saw no reason for a trial some big whig had come into their town and murdered one of their citizens and he needed to die.

As he sat in his cell he could hear the crowd outside chanting hang him hang him. But inside it was even scarier. He could hear one of the deputies on the phone and he was saying "We might not have to wait for a trial. The townspeople might take care of him themselves." and then he heard the cruel laughter of the man who was supposed to protect him.

Gregg banged on the dell again, and the deputy came out once again. "What do you want this time?" the deputy asked him.

"I need to make a phone call. It is my right. I need a lawyer" Gregg demanded.

The deputy sort of grinned and then said "What you need boy is a preacher. This here parts doesn't take kindly to a man killing another. Who are you going to call anyways your cabin doesn't have a phone. Your wife can't call out and no one in town will let her use the phone. I am afraid that you are stuck here."

Gregg Lyons was truly frightened, but he thought of the man who was staying in one of the other cabins. He had heard talk at the beach that day of a man staying in Cricket Creek who was a famous attorney who defended murderers. "I want to talk to Perry Mason. He is here at Cricket Creek right now."

The deputy again laughed and said "He defends the innocent and man you are as guilty as they come. Besides that, he doesn't work for free. You are just going to have to wait until Monday when you get an appointed attorney at court. That is if you last that long."

Dottie Lyons had stopped at the general store and asked to use the phone. She had seen the man at the store just using it. But they told her that the phone was not working and they doubted that she would find someone in the whole town that had a working phone.

As Dottie left the store she saw the crowd that had gathered at the jail. There must have been over twenty men all carrying rifles and screaming to hang her husband. She did not know what to do. Then she thought of the man that she had heard was in town. She had heard of him also. His name was Perry Mason and he was supposed to be one of the defense attorneys in the state.

Paul and Perry had been outside cooking a couple of fish, when they heard a car drive up their driveway. They had thought that it was the police chief or the coroner. They were surprised to see a lady with two young children coming into their backyard.

The lady was a pretty woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She had two small children and looked as though she might have been crying. She came over to them and said. "I am sorry but My name is Dottie Lyons. My husband has been arrested under suspicion of murder. He is at the jail right now and there are many townspeople there trying to hang him. Can you please help me?" she nearly begged.

This was indeed a vacation for both Paul Drake and Perry Mason, but they did not want a lynching here either. Perry looked at Paul and then he looked at the lady "My name is Perry Mason and I will go right up to the police station and see to the safety of your husband.. Why don't you stay here until we get back? My cabin is unlocked.

Dottie could not have felt better. She knew that a lawyer could take care of things with her husband and she needed to sit down. She thought that she was going to be sick to her stomach and then she thought that she might faint. 'I must wait patiently for them to come back' she told herself. With that she gave each of her children a big hug and they went inside.

Perry and Paul headed straight to the police station and to their dismay there was indeed a large group of armed men who were threatening to break down the police station door and take care of Gregg Lyons themselves. The situation was critical, and both Perry and Paul could not understand why the sheriff's office or the state police had not been called.

The two men forced their way through the crowd and went inside. The police chief had not come in and he was seated at his desk. Perry confronted the man immediately and asked why the crowd was being allowed to stand and shout at Gregg Lyons with no consequence?"

The police chief looked up at him and said "They are just blowing off steam. Mr. Lyons is in no danger."

"I suggest you call someone for back up or I will. If anything happens to Mr. Lyons while you sit here at the desk and do nothing to protect him, I will make it my job to see to it that you are the one who is charged with murder. Do I make myself clear?"

'What had happened to the man who was always so cheery and pleasant? He was like a different man, charging him with murder?' the chief thought to himself. But he picked up the phone and put a call into the state police.

The smile was now off of the deputy's face as he heard what Mason had to say. He was worried now, because he had stopped the prisoner from making a phone call and he knew that Lyons was going to tell Mason.

As Perry went down the hall to the one cell that the town had he found Gregg Lyons a nervous wreck. He was a young man who claimed he had no idea how the gun had gotten into his trunk. "Honestly Mr. Mason I didn't kill anyone. They would not let me call anyone and my wife was not allowed to call anyone either?" he asked him.

Perry thought that it would be better if Gregg Lyons went to the next town to stay until he could go to court on Monday. When the State police arrived he was given a ride to their barracks, where Mason knew he would be safe. He had another innocent client and Perry needed to call Della. He was going to need her help.


	5. Chapter 5

There was nothing more disturbing to a defense attorney than to face a lynch crowd. The police in the small town of Cricket Creek were not ready or capable of handling a murder case. This Perry could see from just the few moments that he had spent with the police department.

To think that the police chief had been sitting behind his desk calmly drinking coffee while the crowd made such threats to one of the prisoners. Perry and Paul knew that the police department was small, but they were there to hold to the law and protect their prisoner.

He knew that it was going to be a rough summer for Gregg Lyons. If he didn't get the man out of jail on bail he would most probably spend the summer in jail. Yet, if he did get him out on bail , it was more than likely that the judge was going to order him to stay in Cricket Creek until the trial. Perry truly feared for his and his family's safety.

Perry had seen many instances where the wife would not leave her husband and he was sure that this was going to be one of those instances. Gregg's wife knew that he was innocent, and he was sure that she would never leave him alone in such a hateful town. It looked as thought Perry and Paul were going to have to spend the summer there.

Not that it was a bad place to stay. The fishing was great and there was some good hunting. But, he would be away from his office for several weeks and only keep in touch with it through the phone. That would make it hard on everyone.

But, the first thing that Perry needed to do was to get Della a place to stay. He was going to have to call her and ask her to come to his assistance once again. He could not handle all the requirements of a capital murder case without her help.

Della was enjoying her semi week off from Perry Mason's office. She had taken a much earned day and done some shopping. She was surprised when she had gotten a call and the caller id told her that it was Perry. She picked up the phone and listened intently as Perry told her what he was going to need.

There had been a murder in Cricket Creek of all places and an innocent man was being charged with the murder. Della liked the idea of a summer by a lake. But, she figured it was going to be mostly a summer of work not a summer of relaxation.

The list of things that Perry wanted her to bring was almost endless and as she packed the things into her car, she had to take a deep breath. The phone company was coming out to Perry's cabin so that he could have at least constant phone contact and a fax. There would be internet there also. Della wondered what the internet would be like way out there in the small town of Cricket Creek.

Della had been to Cripple Creek before with Perry and Paul and knew the way. The ride was delightful and as the traffic got less and less she was able to relax. As she pulled into the driveway where Perry and Paul were standing, she was met by her two best friends.

The three of them spent the next hour unpacking Della's car. She had even thought of a few things that Perry had not thought of and he was sure that he was going to need. He couldn't wait until he had a phone and everything that he really needed to start an investigation.

Marcia Brown had been lucky and had found a small cabin for Della to stay in just two cabins down from Mr. Mason. She did not like the way the townspeople were treating . Even if Gregg was the murderer certainly Dottie and his children had nothing to do with it. When she had first told the man that owned the cabin who would be renting it he had disagreed. But, Marcia was a woman with a way of persuading people and he had finally agreed to rent the cabin to her.

Perry went with Della to her cabin to make sure that everything was in order. He trusted Marcia, but he wanted to make sure that none of the townspeople were there trying to cause trouble. But to his pleasure everything was ready and the cabin was quiet.

The bail hearing for Gregg Lyons was all set for the next day. Perry and Della worked most of the afternoon preparing for the hearing. They worked at Perry's because his cabin was nearly all set up. Della worked most of the afternoon setting things up with her boss.

Paul Drake was now out on his own investigating what had happened. George Streeter was a well liked man and had never gotten into any trouble with the law. He was having some financial difficulties and if the condos went up that Gregg were drafting his side of the lake might not have been as popular as it was now. The other side of the lake had always been left to nature and these plans called for the cutting down of many of the trees and the building of over one hundred condos. They were going to be twelve month a year homes, also.

Even though Cripple Creek was a small town, it was only ten miles from a much larger town and many people would be willing to travel that far back and forth to work. Considering the traffic in LA. traveling would be shorter for the commuters who lived here.

Dottie Lyons had shown Paul the drawings that her husband had made of the proposed condos and he was impressed. There were plans for a swimming pool and a tennis court there also. Each condo would have a view of the lake. Paul could see by his work that Gregg Lyons was a talented man. He could also see that he had some serious plans and that they plans were way past the thought stage.

The next morning Perry Paul and Della all appeared in court for the bail hearing. There were many people who came from the town of Cripple Creek and they protested loudly when Gregg Lyons entered the room. But bail was set at one hundred thousand dollars and as Perry had feared Gregg Lyons was ordered to stay within the town limits of Cricket Creek.


	6. Chapter 6

Gregg Lyons was very grateful for the actions of his lawyer Perry Mason. As he went to his wife Dottie he begged her to take the children and go to their home. Dottie was not being cooperative. "I will not leave you alone. We are husband and wife and these are our children. We have to stay there with you and find out who the real murderer is."

Dottie and Gregg left the courtroom after posting bail arm in arm. Perry and Della gave them a ride to the town. Marcia had set it ups so that they could stay at the cabin until the case was closed. Gregg was truly worried, now they were going to be paying a weekly fee for the cabin and they were going to be very short on money.

Della found herself next door to Dottie and Gregg and thought that perhaps she and Dottie could become friends. They were both outsiders and in a small town like Cricket Creek outsiders were not trusted.

Finally the police had put their foot down and the people of the town were not harassing Gregg or his family. When they went out to the beach no one went near them but at least no one said anything. To be honest Dottie almost wished that they would talk, but it was certainly going to be a summer to remember.

Meanwhile Perry was busy getting everything installed in the cabin. He and Della had been busy all afternoon working with the man from the cable company making sure that everything was being put in the best location for their work. By the end of the day everything was done. They now had a computer that worked at a reasonable speed, two phones and a fax machine. They were now in constant contact with the office.

Perry had only brought a few law books with him and was going to need a lot more. But, he was the only one that knew the books that he needed . That evening he and Della went to the office and picked up several of his books. They then went to their homes and grabbed some more clothes. At first they had both thought that they would be back in a few weeks, but now it appeared that they could be stuck there for the summer.

Paul had been looking into things ever since he had gotten out of court. He found that most of the people in Cricket Creek were friendly. They were all very upset about the murder and everyone had their own idea. Most of the townspeople were sure that Gregg Lyons was the murderer, but were willing to listen to Paul and were upfront with what they knew.

After a long day Paul was glad to see that Perry and Della had come back into town. He went into the cabin and was amazed at the change that had taken place. There was now a bookshelf with many law book son it. He also saw the fax the computers and the phone. The cabin was ready for the investigation and from the way that things looked both Perry and Della were both in work mode.

Paul took a seat and told them what he had found out. "It seems that there are more people than George Streeter that didn't want the other side of the lake made into a large resort. People had been using the land for generations. They were mostly local folks that didn't want strangers going on their turf. In fact, almost everyone that I talked to considered that part of the lake theirs." he told them.

"Well, keep digging Paul. Talk to the mayor and his brother. They were the ones that were thinking of building the condos." Perry told him.

"I tried to talk to him all day. His secretary kept telling me that the mayor was busy and that I would have to come back. They may have been trying to stall me, but with the murder and the problem at the police station he could really have been busy." Paul told him.

It was now past nine thirty and Della said her good nights to her friends. Perry insisted on walking her home. He still did not feel comfortable in Cripple Creek and he wanted to make sure that she was all right. As Della opened the door Perry walked in first to make sure that everything was all right. Della smiled at her boss he was such a good protector. But they said their good nights and she turned in soon afterward.

Meanwhile Dottie and Gregg Lyons were trying to relax out on their front porch. The two children were in bed and Cricket Creek was so peaceful at night. Gregg wondered if he should continue working on the drafts for the new condos or not. Tomorrow he was going to go and talk to the mayor. The plans were no longer a secret in town and Gregg needed to know.

Dick and Mike Edwards had gone to their home on the other side of the lake to talk. Dick was sure that his brother had something to do with the murder and he confronted him. Mike couldn't believe what his brother was thinking "Are you kidding me? Why would I want to kill George. He was a pain in the neck sometimes, but he was a friend of mine. I thought that you might have been the one that murdered him" he told him.

This really presented a problem to the mayor and his brother. If neither one of them had murdered George who had? Someone in Cricket Creek was guilty of murder and they were both sure that it wasn't Gregg Lyons. Gregg had been a good scape goat when they had thought that their brother was the murderer, but now that they knew that neither one of them was the guilty party, things were different. They had to find out who the murderer was and soon. Their project had to move forward, they needed the money and were quite sure that Gregg Lyons needed the money also. They made the decision that night to go over and talk to Gregg in the morning and make sure that he was still willing to work on the designs. They wanted to have the condos built as soon as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

Gregg Lyons had gotten up early that day. He was worried about his finances and his charges. This charge of murder could put him in jail for the rest of his life. He knew that there was no longer a death penalty, but life in prison would be no picnic either.

He had just poured himself a cup of coffee and taken a seat at his desk when he heard a car pull up in the driveway. As he took a look at who was coming to his home he saw the mayor and his brother getting out of their car. Gregg welcomed them into the home and they each took a seat.

The mayor was the first one to speak and said "Gregg, we know that you are not guilty of killing George. We would like you to continue your work on our new condominiums. " he told him.

Gregg sighed a deep breath of relief and showed them his work. Both men looked at the work and were impressed. There were a few ideas that they had each come up with and Gregg noted everyone of them carefully. He was sure that he could make a few adjustments to his drafts and was pleased to hear that the changes were not major.

The three men worked most of the morning away and made plans to meet for the next day. They wanted Gregg to go and see the land where they were going to be building on so that he would have an idea of the layout of the area. Gregg was happy to go over there, it would be easier to come up with the layout if he knew the land. So they left happily and satisfied and Gregg could relax a little. This project was going to take him the entire summer he was sure.

Della noticed the mayor's car in Gregg's driveway and wondered if everything was all right. But as though Dottie Lyons had been out on the porch to let Della know that everything was all right, she had waved to her with a smile.

Della waved and headed over to the cabin where her friends Paul and Perry were staying. They had a lot of work to do and it was already eight in the morning. She would be doing her regular work from Cricket Creek until the case was solved and be also working on the murder mystery of George Streeter. It never ceased to amaze her how people could murder another human being.

As Della knocked on the door Perry called to her to come on in. He was already very busy at his desk. Della went over to the fax machine and found a pile of papers that must have consisted of over one hundred pieces. She picked up the faxes and took her seat at her desk. Each and every piece had to carefully examined, as she knew that the girls at the office had taken care of what they could already.

The morning went by quickly and Della had handed Perry Mason many of the papers. She was able to take care of some of the things herself, but some had to be signed by her boss and checked over carefully for the legality of the issue that was presented.

Paul had been very busy with the townspeople and was now headed to the county records. The county seat was located some twenty miles away, but he was going to be looking into different land trades and such in the area. He also wanted to get a look at the land deeds themselves.

Marcia Brown in the meantime was having a bad year. She was busy calling people telling them that due to a crisis in the town the cabins that some people had rented would no longer be available. All of the people that she called had heard of the murder and were upset by the news. Many of the people had been coming out to Cricket Creek for years. Marcia had no place to put them. She knew that the condos were needed, she just wished that things didn't have to change too much. But she knew that some new homes were badly needed in the area.

Paul made the long ride to the county seat and went straight to the Registry of Deeds. He went to the records that held the titles on the property that George Streeter owned. There he found a couple of interesting things. There was a lien on all of his property that had been placed on them by his brother in law Michael Carly. The lien had been placed on the property some five years earlier for a debt that George Streeter owed him.

With this lien Paul knew that George Streeter could not have sold the property without clearing it. It also indicated that George Streeter was in worse financial condition than he had appeared. He then went over to the owners of the land where the condominiums were due to be built. There he found that the land and property had been left to a brother by the name of John as well as the mayor and his brother that he already knew of.

Paul was surprised by this information. No one had ever mentioned John to him or anyone that he knew of. John had an equal share of the property and nothing could be built on the land without his say. He would have to tell Perry as soon as he got back. He had not heard the name John mentioned when he had spoken to the people of Cricket Creek.

This was when Paul decided that since he was already at the courthouse perhaps it was time for him to look into the brother John and see what kind of person he was. Did he have a record?

As Paul went into the district courthouse, he was handed a folder and the news inside was not good . John had been a busy man a busy man indeed. He headed back to Cricket Creek to talk to Perry.


	8. Chapter 8

Perry and Della found themselves in a town where they were less than welcome. Oh the people were polite but that was all. Della was bothered by the way the people treated her while Perry just brushed them off. He looked at her and said "Don't let them bother you, they think we are doing something bad that is all. "

Della found herself standing close to her boss and friend as they ordered some things from the local store. She was glad when they were finally done and headed back to the cabin. Perry smiled at her as he drove up the long driveway to the cabin where he was going to be working until he found out what was going on and who had murdered George Streeter.

Paul arrived at the cabin at just a little past seven that evening and found both Della and Perry hard at work. He knew that having an office this far from the regular office was making work for the two of them twice as hard. But he had a wife and son who were missing him too. He thought of his son Paul Jr and how he had been looking forward to the summer with his daddy. Now it looked like that wasn't going to happen until they found the murderer.

Perry was surprised to find out about the other brother. He had been to Cricket Creek for many years and had never met the man. But as Paul explained it this brother was a trouble maker. He had always been in trouble and had just been released form a local jail once again. He had only been a free man when George Streeter had been murdered. John Edwards was a suspect for sure.

The next morning Paul went out again and went to the General Store. The people of the town were surprised to find out that John was back in town. They had not seen him. Paul was not positive, but for some reason believed the men. As he approached the mayor, the mayor looked somewhat scared. "My brother John has been trouble our whole lives. I have the paper here that he signed years ago where he gives me full power of attorney and the rights to develop the land. He gets one third of the profit, but is supposed to leave us alone. Are you sure that he is here in town?" the mayor asked him nervously.

Paul had not seen the man and asked to see a picture of John. Paul looked at the picture and knew that he had not seen the man. "Can I bring it with me?" he asked.

The mayor was more than happy to let him have the picture and Paul showed it to Della and Perry. Neither one of them had seen that man.

That was when Paul thought about going over to the Lyons cabin and showing them the pictures. Paul walked over to the next cabin and knocked on the door. Gregg Lyons answered the door and welcomed him into the house. Paul showed each of them Dottie and Gregg the picture but they had not seen the man.

But that was when Lindsey had come into the room and looked at the picture. "Momma that is the man that was standing outside of our house the other day. I said hi to him but he just turned and walked away." she told her.

Dottie had remembered her daughter saying that there was a man out in the backyard. She had told her daughter to come back into the house, because she thought it had been one of the members of the town who didn't like them being there. Now she knew that this man could indeed be a real danger to her and her family.

Paul Drake now knew that John was somewhere around the area of Cricket Creek. The woods were very dense and someone who knew the woods well could hide out in them for weeks at a time and no one would know it.

John had never done anything like a murder, but Paul was indeed worried. 'But, why would he kill George Streeter? What kind of threat would George Streeter have been to John?' Paul needed to find out what the man would have had on this man John that would make him want to kill George.

Most of the people knew John as a troubled young man. That was when Paul went back and talked to Marcie Brown. "I know that I have spoken to you before but I want to know if you know of any reason why John Edwards would want George Streeter alive." Paul asked her.

Marcia was thinking, oh she had been thinking. There was something that she had heard a while ago. "I don't know if this has anything to do with the murder, but I heard that John owed George Streeter money and he was supposed to be paying him back soon. George had been upset because he did not want the other side of the lake built up and that was where John and his brother were going to be getting their money. He was sure of it." she told him.

Now Paul had a motive. He was pretty sure that John had been the murderer but he needed to talk to the police. The police station was quiet for once and he was able to talk to the chief in person. ""I have information that the mayor's brother John is in town. Have you heard that information?" he asked him.

The police chief looked at the man and said "Yes that rumor is spreading around town. That boy is no good. He has been in trouble all his life. He and George must have fought about the money that he owed or something. John was always looking for money.

But something about the police chief had not settled well with Paul. There had been a photo hanging on the wall and it had been taken down. Also, why did the police chief ignore the fact that John had been released from jail? He would have been the first to know about his release being the police chief and all. That was when he decided that he was going to look into the chief a little further.

Paul returned to the cabin to Perry and Della and told him his feelings. Perry had known the chief for a long time, and had considered him to be a friend. But when he had arrested Gregg Lyons he had done nothing to protect the man . He told Paul "Look into that in the morning Paul please."


	9. Chapter 9

Perry had been studying the testimony of all of the witnesses and read and then reread their statements. He told Paul that he wanted him to check into the man named Brian Earl. The police chief had turned out to be a dead end he believed but he wondered about the statement of Brian Earl.

Gregg Lyons had been charged with the murder almost on just his statement. Once they found the weapon in the trunk of George's car they had assumed that Brain was telling the truth.

Paul spent the next few days going over Brian Earl and what he was up to. Brian was one of the local people who had been vocal about taking care of Gregg Lyons. He was one of the leaders of the lynch mob.

Paul was faced with many people in the town who did not want to talk to him. Many of the people in the town had known him as a regular visitor for years and were what he had considered to be a friend. Although, the local townspeople were not unfriendly to him they were not as forthcoming as they had once been.

But slowly the truth began to come out. Mike and Dick Edwards had indeed wanted to build up the property across the lake. This was something that they both needed. The land was costing them too much for insurance and upkeep. There had been an attempt to make the land protected, but the state was too slow and they were getting desperate for money.

Their brother was definitely causing trouble. He owed everyone in town and had no means to pay it back except for his one third of the land. If the land was built up he stood to make a fortune. He could pay everyone back and still have a large bankroll. The condos would keep him comfortable for the rest of his life.

All three of them were sure that John Edwards had no reason to want George Streeter dead. He had always been a heavy drinker and had been in a few brawls. The people of the town were not proud of him. 'But where was he? He had been out of jail for almost a week and no one claims to have seen him. Maybe he didn't come back to Cripple Creek.

But those thoughts were shattered when Gregg Lyons came over to the cabin to talk to them and told them that one of their children had seen John Edwards outside of the cabin watching them.

The next morning Paul went to the police station to again speak to the chief of police. "John Edwards has now been identified to be in the area. I think that he might know something. He had nothing to gain by murdering George Streeter. It is important that Mr. Mason and I speak to him."

The chief of police knew that John was indeed in town. He had seen him. After talking to him the chief was sure that John had nothing to do with the murder. But, he would talk to him and ask him to speak to Mr. Mason.

That evening as Paul Perry and Della enjoyed the quiet of the outdoors they were visited by John Edwards. For the brash man that everyone had portrayed him to be he was not what Della had expected. He was a dashing and charming young man. He talked eloquently and was obviously well educated. "I was told that you would like to talk to me Mr. Mason." he told them.

Perry pointed toward a chair and told him to take a seat. "Yes I have a couple of questions for you. We have been looking into who would benefit the most from the murder of George Streeter. What do you know about Brian Earl?" he asked John.

The question caught John by surprise and Perry caught the expression on his face right away. He had never thought about Brain Earl. But, yes he and George had never been good friends. There had been a rumor that George's wife Mary and Brain Earl had been having a fling. This had happened many years ago, but George's wife had been dead for a long time.

John then spoke "There was a problem between George Streeter and Brian Earl a few years ago. There had been a rumor that he was seeing his wife. Then when she died she left Brian half of the property. George had to buy Brain out so that he could keep the cabins." John told him.

Perry had a feeling that something like that might have happened. Now that George was going to own some cabins that might not be used as much once the condos were in he may have needed the money back. Perhaps that no Perry snapped his fingers. He knew what had happened. He should have known the whole time. He thanked John and turned to Paul.

"I want you to look into the property. I think that you will find that Brian Earl still owns part of the property and with the building of the new condos he wanted the money from George. George was broke and check that out." Perry told him.

The next day Paul headed to the local bank and checked into the bank records. Perry had obtained a court order and although the bank was not happy to share with him the information they allowed him to look into the records. There he found that George had been paying Earl faithfully for about six months and then had stopped. The records showed that George Streeter was in bad financial shape.

Without the money from George Streeter Brian was in bad shape also. Because the property still had his name on it he was in debt for taxes and insurance. He had since lost his job also.

Paul returned to the cabin where Perry and Della were and told them what he had found out. Perry called the police chief and told him what he knew. "Brian Earl did not see Gregg Lyons put the gun in the trunk or go into the house. It was him. "

That evening the police chief went over and talked to Brian . After a few hours in the police station Brian confessed to the murder. He had come to George to get some money and George had laughed at him. He had no money and the condos were going to make their land useless. They had fought and in a fit of anger he had shot him.

By the end of the week Gregg Lyons found himself once more a free man. Perry and Paul had the cabin paid for and so wasn't Della's. The three friends decided to enjoy the town of Cripple Creek and take a real vacation. Work in LA could wait another week.

Author's note: The condos did get built and Perry Mason was one of the first people to buy one. Gregg Lyons made it as am architect and stayed in Cricket Creek for the summer. He made many friends and would return for many years to come with his family.


End file.
